Apple is set to announce the iPhone 6S, among other things, at a special event this evening, and one late rumour relates to the Siri assistant.
It’s long been rumoured that Siri would be receiving a major update with iOS 9 and the new hardware that would launch along with it. One of those features could be perpetual alertness.
According to 9to5Mac, the Siri will be permanently on, listening out for your voice commands. All that will be needed will be a “Hey Siri” to activate it.
Of course, there has been a similar feature present in recent iPhones, but it hasn’t proved massively useful to most people. You’ve had to have your phone plugged into a power source in order to use it, and that won’t be the case with this fresh implementation.
This is evidently what the “Hey Siri, give us a hint” event invitation alludes to – at least partially. Apple always chooses its words very carefully.
Related: iPhone 6S live stream: How to watch the Apple event
Apple is arguably playing catch-up on the personal assistant front after setting an early lead. Google Now has added a number of useful functions to the whole concept in the years since Siri’s initial release, with the next big step set to be deeply integrated, contextually aware information that reacts to what you’re doing in the moment.
We’ll see how Apple intends to respond to that, as well as the new hardware features of the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus (including Force Touch), a new Apple TV, and quite probably and iPad Pro tablet, from 6pm GMT.
Here’s what we want to see from the iPhone 6S:
Editorial independence
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Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.